1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention is related to the field of data processing systems and more particularly to data processing systems employing system management devices.
2. History of Related Art
In the field of microprocessor-based data processing systems, system management generally and remote systems management in particular are increasingly important features for certain applications and environments. In a data center environment, for example, it is common to encounter racks of server machines in a single room. Remote management capability for individual systems greatly simplifies the systems management task. In some server implementations, systems management capability is provided using an adapter inserted into a standard expansion slot of the system. An example of such an adapter is the Remote Supervisor Adapter (RSA) from IBM Corporation. System management resources, including system management adapters (referred to herein as management adapters), provide functionality including graphical console redirection, keyboard and mouse control, server status, independent remote management, remote control of hardware and operating systems, remote update of the server firmware, and continuous health monitoring (fans, thermal monitoring, etc) with time stamped event logs and automated notification and alerts.
While remote supervisor adapters and other similar system management facilities provide highly desirable management control, they also introduce an additional peripheral device into the system. Although much of the management device activity can be achieved independent of the server status, it is nevertheless generally beneficial to enable direct communication between the management adapter and the local system via its operating system or an application running under the operating system. Unfortunately, direct communication to peripheral devices including management adapters and the like requires a dedicated device driver. Moreover, dedicated device drivers are required for each combination of management adapter and operating system. Developing and maintaining device drivers for all of the various implementations of operating systems and system management devices can, therefore, consume significant resources. It would be highly desirable to implement a system that enabled direct communication between a system and its management device. It would be further desirable if the implemented solution leveraged existing software drivers to minimize the effort required to implement and maintain the direct communication functionality.